Trolley-wire switch.



No. 791,178. PATENTED MAY30,1905.

' J.'T.'BUNN.

TROLLEY WIRE SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 19M.v

u 7.. l I w WIYYVESSES: [NVENTOR flaw/awa MW/M- U ITED STATES PatentedMay 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

TROLLEY-WIRE SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 791,178 dated May 30,1905.

Application filed August 3, 1904:. Serial No. 219,275.

To all whom it may concern:

devices have been produced for effecting re-' sults similar to thoseaccomplished by my device each one is defective in some particular,

or if not defective is so cumbersome and expensive as to be virtuallyimpracticable. For some years I have given these problems careful study,and after due thought I believe that I have devised means whereby atrolley can be caused to automatically take and keep the proper wire ata switching or crossing point and one which is simple inconstruction,inexpensive to manufacture, durable, and highly eflicientin operation.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, such as will be more fullydescribed hereinafter, and particularly set forth in the claims.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of theplate used for crossings, showing the engagement of a trolley-wheel andits guides therewith. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof, and Fig.3 isa bottom plan view of a plate employed at the juncture of main and sidetracks.

In the drawings, referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Aindicates the crossing-plate, composed, preferably, of vulcanized fiberor other insulating material and disposed at the intersection of twocross-wires 1 and 2, respectively. The crossing-plate is preferablynotched at points in alinement with the crossing-wires, as shown at 3 3,the notches or recesses adapted to receive standards 4: 4, of steel,preferably, which standards are suitably secured to the plate, as bymeans of screws. (Not shown.) The lower ends of the standards areprovided with outwardly-projecting feet 5 5, to which are securelyfastened the ends of the trolley-wires l and 2, and the upper ends ofthe standards project a short distance above the plate, the oppositestandards being connected. by means of the bridges 6 6, the currentpassing from one end of the Wire into the foot to which it is attached,from whence it passes through the standard and over the bridge to theopposite standard and thence to the wire connected therewith. Thebridges and their respective standards may be formed integral with eachother, and the bridges are preferably covered with some insulatingmaterial 13 where they cross each other. 7 ence of the bridgesstrengthens the whole construction and braces it against danger ofdisplacement by reason of strain on the wire, for instance.

The under face of the insulating-plate has secured thereto a pluralityof intersecting rails 7 7, one rail located on each side of each of thestandards and equidistant therefrom, the rails forming tracks extendingdiametrically across the plate. These rails are preferably formed of onepiece, as is a street-railway crossing, and are suitably secured, as byscrews, to the under faces of the plate, the tracks being V- shaped incross-section and preferably formed of steel to resist wear, the railsat their points of intersection with one another being beveled,chamfered, or graded oppositely or away from each other to permit themeeting edges 8 8 of the rails to radiate from the actual point ofintersection 9, at preferably right angles to each other, as shown, andat an acute angle to the apex of the rail. The purpose of thisconstruction is to prevent the occurrence of a wide unoccupied space atthe points of intersection, which space would be liable to admit of thetwisting of the trolley-wheel at such points, with a consequent breakageof parts. As manufactured under my invention there is no opportunity forsuch a twisting movement, since the edges 8 8 run down to a small point9, which is in alinement with each rail and of an area equal only to theinside apex of such rail and too small to permit the guiding-arms totwist or pivot thereon.

It will also be noted that the pres-' In Fig. 3 I have shown aswitch-plate B for a single branch or side and main track, the mechanismbeing exactly the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1, 2,and 4, with the exception that the tracks merge into one another at oneend thereof, diverging as they approach the opposite end of the plate inconformity with the diverging track-rails. It is of courseevident thatthese crossing and switch plates are suspended above the streetcrossings and switches, the throwing of the street-switch in onedirection or the other determining the track to be taken on theswitchplate overhead by the trolley, by reason of the switching of thecar from the main to the side track, for instance, will turn thetrolley-wheel in a similar direction, causing it to engage thetrack-rails on the overhead plate. Operating in conjunction with theseplates I provide an improved trolley-wheel attachment comprising a pairof upwardly-projecting guards or parallel cars 10 10, located one oneach side of and in close proximity to the trolley-wheel 11. These earsat their upper ends have journaled thereto the rotatable guide-rollers12 12, the rollers each provided with a knifeedged periphery adapted totake into the apices of the tracks on the overhead plates, and theserollers are offset or disposed out of alinement with each other for thepurpose of further preventing even the possibility of the derailthesame, will have passed the point of intersection 9 of the rail by thetime the rear roller reaches such points.

The guards 1O 10 project some little distance above the upper edge ofthe trolley-wheel l1 and perpendicularly to the trolleywire which theguards embrace to prevent the jarring or rocking of the car fromthrowing the trolley-wheel from the wire, and in View of the height ofthe guards the depending standards 4 4 extend some distance beneath thecrossing and switch-plates A and B. It is therefore obvious that whenthe trolley-wheel is passing the crossing the wheel itself will leavethe foot 5 and the guards by reason of their length will have broughtthe rollers 12 12 into engagement with the tracks to convey the trolleyover the crossing.

It can be seen that my invention is not restricted in its use wholly tooverhead con ductors, but can be utilized for underground or third-railsystems as well. It is further evident that many other slight changesthan those heretofore set forth might be made in the form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a divided trolleywire, of an insulating-platelocated between the adjacent ends of the wire, means carried by theplate for continuing the circuit thereacross, crossing-rails secured tothe under face of the plate, and means carried by the car for engagingthe rails.

2. The combination with a trolley-whee] provided with guards projectingabove the wheel and antifriction means carried by the guards, of adivided trolley-wire, hangers for supporting the wire, a non-conductingplate located between the adjacent ends of the wire, intersecting tracksmounted on the plate, the tracks being beveled at their points ofintersection and means for completing the trolleywire circuit.

8. The combination with a trolley-wheel and guards located on eitherside thereof and projecting above the wheel, of a divided trolley-wire,a recessed non-conducting plate located between the adjacent ends of thewire, depending standards secured in the recesses, the ends of thetrolley-wire connected with the standards, tracks mounted on the plate,the tracks passing on either side of each standard, and bridgesconnecting the standards.

4. The combination with a trolley-wheel and an upwardly-extending guardlocated on either side thereof, of a divided trolley-wire, anon-conducting plate located between the adjacent ends of the wire,standards secured and extending perpendicularly with relation to theplate, bridges secured to and connecting the opposite standardsrespectively, outwardly-projecting feet secured to the free ends of thestandards, the ends of the trolleywire secured to the feet and trackscarried by the plate, the tracks being engaged by the projecting guard.

5. The combination with a trolley-wheel and upwardly-projecting guards,of a l1011-C0l]- ducting plate, a trolley-wire suitably securedtherewith, hangers for supporting the wire and V-shaped intersectingtracks formed independently of and secured to the plate, the tracksbeing beveled at their points of intersection and engaged by the guards.

6. The combination with a trolley-wire, of a non-conducting plateinterposed between adjacent ends of the wire and suitably securedthereto, the plate located on a plane parallel with the plane of thewire, means for completing the trolley-wire circuit across the plate,intersecting tracks mounted on the plate, a trolley-wheel, guardslocated on either side of and projecting beyond the trolleywheel, andantifriction means carried by the guards and adapted to engage thetracks before the wheel leaves the wire, the antifriction means locatedout of alinement with each other.

7 A crossing-switch comprising a plate, rigid bracing-bridges passingover and, embracing the plate, conduetors connected with the bridges andmeans carried by the plate and engaged by a trolley for guiding the lat'ter across the plate.

8. A crossing-switch comprising a plate of non-conducting material,rigid conducting means by means of which the plate is supported, theconducting means bracing the plate and means carried by the plate andengaged by a trolley for guiding the latter across the plate.

9. A crossing-switch comprising a plate, conducting means to which theplate is se-

